Richland superintendent out

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RICHLAND, Wash. - A lengthy investigation all came down to one meeting: and a decision to terminate Richland's Superintendent, Dr. Jim Busey.

Rick Jansons, school board president, "There's no winners, this is a sad day. I look forward however to the district moving on."

It took more than two-months to get to this point. Busey was suspended in December while an investigation looked into his relationship with a fellow Richland staffer.

The result of that was a unanimous decision by the Richland School Board: fire Jim Busey.

The district says its investigation uncovered a mountain of evidence supporting claims Busey acted inappropriately while on the job.

An independent investigator cited multiple affairs by the married man, use of district property for inappropriate personal reasons, and even threats to use the media to his advantage. The board determined this was enough to lose trust and effectiveness as head of Richland schools. Busey was on the job just a couple years.

KEPR asked, "Was the board surprised at all at any of the results that came back from the investigation?

Jansons replied, "Yeah, we were surprised that any of this took place. We hired someone a couple of years ago. We didn't expect or for see any of this. We had no prior knowledge of anything like this."

He hoped for a better outcome but ultimately doing what's best for the district.

KEPR was in constant contact with Jim Busey all day. He did say that neither he nor his lawyer was going to attend the meeting. He also declined my request for an on camera interview saying that it's not the right time and when he's ready he'd let us know. For now, he just released this statement."

Sent by text message Busey told me he will consult his lawyer before deciding his next move. It's all taking attention away from the district's efforts to get a critical school bond passed next month. For now, the leadership under Jim Busey is over.

The interim superintendent is expected to remain in place while the hiring process begins for Busey's replacement.

It's also important to note the reason Busey's personal relationships were important was because his contract had behavior expectations and these did not fall in line with that.

Busey is in the process of divorcing his wife.

KEPR did ask the school board how much money and resources were spent on this investigation. No immediate answer was available but officials said it will be covered by insurance.

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